POSTGAME NOTEBOOK

Avs' New Line Works Perfectly Versus Blue Jackets

Wednesday, 01.01.2014 / 12:11 AM

By Ron Knabenbauer

When a coach puts together a new line combination, there are no guarantees that the trio will have chemistry and will work well together.

That was not the case Tuesday as Avalanche head coach Patrick Roy struck gold with his new line of Ryan O'Reilly, Matt Duchene and Jamie McGinn. The trio scored two goals and was on the ice for another score in Colorado's 5-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Each player brought their own specialty to the line—Duchene with his speed, McGinn with his physicality and O'Reilly with his puck handling—and it seemed like a perfect combination.

"For us, it was just keep it simple and get the puck low," said O'Reilly, who had a goal and an assist. "We're going to create opportunities, and this time we did."

The new line came about after right wing PA Parenteau injured his knee Sunday against Winnipeg, forcing Roy to reshuffle his forward combinations. Parenteau will be out approximately six weeks, and Roy said the injury would allow other players the chance to step up.

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POSTGAME NOTES & QUOTES

• The Avs are 6-4-1 on New Year’s Eve since moving to Denver, 2-1-0 at home.
• The Avalanche improved to 34-10-4 all-time against the Blue Jackets, 19-5-1 at home.
• The Avalanche scored a season-high three power-play goals tonight, going 3-for-3 with the man advantage…It’s the first time Colorado scored three power-play goals in a game since Oct. 13, 2011 at Ottawa, when they scored four times.
• The Avs are 9-3-0 against Eastern Conference teams this year, 4-2-0 at home and 5-1-0 on the road.
• Matt Duchene finished with a team-high 16 points (4g/12a) in 14 December games.

MORNING REPORT

Brad Malone Back In the Lineup Against Columbus

A healthy scratch for the past month, the forward will replace injured PA Parenteau

After a month of watching from the other side of the glass, Avalanche forward Brad Malone will be back in the lineup for tonight's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Malone will replace the injured PA Parenteau, who hurt his knee Sunday night against Winnipeg and will miss roughly six weeks.

"You don't like to lose players, but at the same time everybody is exposed to a situation like this," Colorado head coach Patrick Roy said. "Just looking at Columbus tonight, they have been hit by injuries a lot, and I see it as an opportunity for some of our guys to take advantage of the situation."

ROY'S RESOLUTION

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GAME NOTES

Tonight is the first of two meetings between the Avalanche and Blue Jackets this season, as these two clubs will compete in opposite conferences for the first time in 2013-14. The Avs will visit Ohio on April 1.

• The Avs are 33-10-4 all-time against the Blue Jackets, 18-5-1 at home and 15-5-3 on the road.
• The Avs were 1-0-2 in three meetings against the Blue Jackets last year.
• Jan Hejda spent four seasons with Columbus from 2007-11.
• Nick Holden signed with Columbus as a non-drafted free agent in 2008 and played seven games with the Jackets from 2010-13.
• Nate Guenin played three games for the Blue Jackets in 2010-11.
• Semyon Varlamov is 3-2-1 with a 1.66 GAA in six games versus Columbus.

GAME PREVIEW

Avalanche Continues Homestand versus Blue Jackets

Season series: This is the first of two games between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Colorado Avalanche. In the 2012-13 season, when both played in the Western Conference, Columbus took two of three from Colorado. Artem Anisimov and Nick Foligno were responsible for those wins with overtime goals.

Big story: With 50 points in their first 38 games, the Avalanche is on pace to eclipse 100 points this season. It would be the first time in 10 years the franchise accomplished that feat. That's in the long term, however; for the moment, the Avs will try to add some separation in the West. They enter Tuesday three points ahead of the eighth-place Phoenix Coyotes and five up on the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild.